By Isle of Wight Observer
Dear Editor,
I have written to the Isle of Wight Council making the following points and others. I am awaiting a reply.
Whilst decision-makers focus on immediate costs and statistics, instead of long-term financial and emotional impacts, services degrade and society pays the price. Vulnerable families, often isolated and distrustful of authority, rely on community support. Removing Wroxall Primary School would only increase their struggles. Wroxall’s staff build crucial trust with families, offering the only support some can accept. Relationships like these aren’t replaceable.
Alternative solutions, such as renting school space for holiday clubs, could subsidise budgets without closures. Yet no alternative ideas were presented in the statistics, which are often skewed to suit a chosen outcome. Decision-makers must shift their approach to prioritise sustainable solutions.
Austerity already costs more long-term than it saves. Delayed interventions mean children with special needs require far more resources as they grow, and closures will push families towards academies or home-education — not always by choice, but out of necessity to protect their children.
Removing Wroxall’s pre-school would impact children entitled to free hours, creating financial strain for families and widening achievement gaps. Thirty-five per cent of Wroxall’s families already struggle financially. Forcing such changes ignores the foundational importance of early education.
The £2,000,000 public investment in Wroxall school would be wasted with its closure. Such disregard for pupil and family wellbeing widens the gap between vulnerable families and the institutions meant to support them. Decisions like this prioritise cost-cutting over children’s welfare.
I urge them to reconsider, address these issues, and provide a response. Trust in local and central government is at an all-time low. Decisions like this only deepen that divide.
Helen Downer, Wroxall